“When will it be done?” is a question asked in just about every business I’ve encountered, Agile or otherwise. In this metrics-focused session we will explore why that question is so hard to answer and whether it is even the right question to ask.

We will explore current thinking about measurement in knowledge work fields. How every business needs to identify their own appropriate metrics to measure for their own business challenges and goals. While metrics are always unique for each individual business context, we will identify 4 metric categories identified from the Fit for Purpose framework.

To connect these concepts to your Agile organization we explore going past looking at measurement as a team phenomena and connect this to the level of services or value streams.

Digging further we continue to examine questions around measuring and predicting delivery times. We contrast prediction approaches using deterministic methods vs probabilistic methods. And consider multiple sources of variability that make predictions challenging and often impossible.

We conclude by considering more appropriate questions to replace “When will it be done?” Rather asking “When do we need it” followed by “and so, when should start?”

Agile product managers and product owners often feel the need to be in all places, all the time, with all people. To succeed, they need to be inventive, yet focused; collaborative, yet decisive; far-sighted, yet detail-oriented. The best product owners are strategic—envisioning the product, communicating upstream with business executives, researching the market, and continually planning for delivery of high-value product options. Yet at the same time, they are also tactical—communicating downstream with the delivery team, running product demos, and discussing technical considerations.

In this session, we identify the responsibilities and disciplines involved in product work, examine decision-making rules applied to this work, and explore how a product owner or manager can leverage the expertise of the development team. Participate in activities to deepen your understanding of product work and product-related decision making. Leave with concrete ways to lighten the load of product ownership while making space for the right things amidst the clutter of everything.